Easter magic.

oh, the joy when you realize there is chocolate and candy in those little plastic eggs. And even more joyous, no one stops you from eating them! Easter is magical!

and makes for a very happy little boy!

get the egg...

run to the basket...

drop it in.

sit and enjoy your spoils. it's so beautiful.

We don't have our easter baskets here, and the BX options were

frightening, so I just got the kids cute gift bags and then I can

use them again. Aren't i clever. i thought so.

isn't he so handsome.

Ammon's favorite thing the easter bunny brought him.

Ammon has some seriously sweet soccer skills.

oh my sweet lizzie.

Leah dressed in traditional hanbook.

All of Leah's friends have korean moms and they adore Leah because she loves the Korean culture, food, language, and their country. She is completely comfortable with Koreans, and hence they shower her with gifts. She came home with this dress and matching shoes. The dress is absolutely gorgeous and so detailed. I want one.

It is my goal to get a family picture in traditional korean dress.

Wouldn't that be awesome!

Rachel looking for eggs in her pjs and half way ready for church.

Notice one side of her hair is curled and the other not. too funny.

I don't know about your easter bunny, but ours is pretty intense when

it comes to hiding the eggs. In fact, this year I requested a documented list of

where every "real" egg was hidden. I am always finding real eggs 6 months later.

When we moved from AZ in fact, we found some eggs.

Luckily, all are accounted for. I think I found the last one buried in my wheat flour.

Dang that bunny. He's a tricksies.

Jacob and Leah digging through the unfolded laundry.

couldn't the easter bunny have folded that for me? smile.

I was starting to freak out at all the feet on my counter tops.

I am so not fun.

You would think at 16 jacob would be over the hunting for eggs.

Not so. He is fighting and pushing kids out of the way to find them first. ha ha.

The real reason being is we started a new tradition this year.

It involves a gold and silver egg.

They are not for the novice egg hunter, and the reward is pretty sweet.

The gold egg bears $20, and the silver $10.

You can't imagine the searching that went on. We had to call off the search until after church.

Jacob was in a frenzy to find that egg.

After an exhaustive search, and my house being torn a part. The gold egg was found.

It was way up in the vent over the stove.

The silver egg has yet to be found.

It's Tuesday and I even caught Katie looking for it. ha ha. no luck.

I organized an easter dinner for our branch at the base chapel annex after church.

It was delicious. I am still full.

we had a little easter egg hunt outside as well. The older kids hid the eggs. While they are out hiding them, i look out the window and see jacob pouring candy out of an egg into his mouth. nice. ha.

The joy on ammon's face isn't about the candy but being able to run around outside.

Jacob and Rachel are completely obsessed with pinochle, and they have to teach everyone how to play. These four are playing every time i turn around. The three seminary kids and their teacher. If they get done early with seminary in the morning, guess what they do?

Ammon and Lanaya. Look how big they have gotten.

Ammon going in for a kiss. It looks like he is really just trying to see if

she has any more chocolate to eat in her mouth. ha ha.

PS-Breaking news. The silver egg has been found. I repeat the silver egg has been found.

BY ME!!!

The girls all had piano lessons today and it was hid behind the piano in the woodwork. It got dislodged and fell down. The kids are mad. I told them we would re hide it.

But I really don't want all my cupboards gone through again, and the ceiling fixtures taken off.

Let me know if you have a good ideas.

what girls do on a saturday afternoon.

Watch barbie princess movies and do hair.

Rachel and Rebecca were so nice to do Lizzie, Leah, and their friend's hair.

Here are some of the results.

Sorry, I had to leave and didn't get everyone's finished product.

Kayla

Lana

and Lizzie.

What cute girls. What nice sisters.

Jacob- using his head

So, I haven't blogged in a while because we went on a trip, and then I want to blog about that trip when I get home. But i am so overwhelmed by the 1500 pictures that i took that i put it off, and then i get all blogged up. (ha ha, aren't i funny. ok no.) anyway, we went on a trip all over korea over spring break, but i will have to break it up, so it is soccer for now my friends.

I have been telling jacob to go out for soccer since it began because I knew he would love it, and again great opportunity to learn a new sport. Especially since they have the greatest coach. But.......he was tired from basketball, wanted to weight train with the football coach who is wanting him to train to be the quarterback next year, and the biggest reason of all "Anxiety." Unfortunately, Jacob inherited my anxiety. But luckily, I think he is the only one. I lied, Leah can muster up a pretty good panic. Anyway, I knew he was just too scared that he wouldn't do well. I mean he hasn't played since he was probably 9, and i am sure he didn't want to embarrass himself.

Anyway, he rested up, and weight trained a little, but went to all the soccer games. Every time he would come home itching to play. To which i would again try to convince him to go and talk to the coach about starting. FINALLY, if you can believe this, the athletic coordinator for the school came to Jacob and invited him to play on the team. What a compliment!

Even more anxiety ensued.

But I know Jacob, he is fine the minute he starts playing or doing something new. Let me tell you of when jacob played soccer on a team for the first time. He was 7, and couldn't sleep he was so excited for his first practice. It is all he talked about. The day finally arrived, he has his new cleats laced up and ready to go. We drive there and are in the parking lot, and he freaks out. Won't get out of the car etc. etc. I finally drag him out there (lots of other parents giving me the bad parent look), I dragged him on to the field, stood with him in the line of kids until it was his turn to kick the ball into the goal, then I physically took his leg and made it kick the ball in. The other parents are really giving me the "over the top, pushing your kid, crazy mom" looks. I was redeemed though when after that Jacob was totally fine, and played his heart out. That is what he is known for you know, and why every coach loves him. He plays his heart out. He works super hard, and is a team player.

So now at 16, i didn't need to go and hold his leg for that first kick, but it took a month of working on him, easing all his worries, and then of course forcing him in the end. Ridiculous. But i totally get it.

So here he is on his first game, after only a few practices. We were so nervous for him. He has no idea what he is doing, but like i said he has heart, and works so hard. The coach played him the whole game. And has every game since.

See Jacob, i told you you would do just fine. As always, i am right. smile.

So proud of you!

(and in that first picture it is jacob that hit the ball with his head)

At a key point in the game when they were doing a kick into the goal (sorry, i am soccer illiterate, but i am learning, like jacob. ha) we look down and there is Lizzie with her friend Kayla by the goal, rolling around doing steamroller. We were dying laughing. It seemed rather odd.

oh, and maybe the kick wasn't so important, it looks like the ref is texting or something. ha ha.

There's my boy, right in the middle, the only blonde.

It is so cute, at the end of the game they line up and bow and say thank you to everyone who came to support them. It's tradition (ever after voice).

Ives in Korean. at least i think it is. Maybe it says foreigner. ha ha

and oh yah, look who got her braces off that day!

its not a bad life you know.

Not a bad life at all for mr. ammon. The whole house to himself all day.

Mom to himself. Kickin it with a bottle and a little sesame street on the big screen.

Not bad at all.

i love it.

He has fat wide feet like jacob. aren't they cute?

oh my gosh. melt my heart.

I am definitely hanging this up somewhere.

since there isn't one picture of ammon anywhere in the house.

I need to remember how sweet he normally is because he is teething right now

and a total bear. So unlike him.

Where's ammon?

Peek a Boo!

I had to get ammon this shirt! When we were dating, Dave told me that he

wanted to name a son THor. right. He would send me cards that looked

like they were made by a child and sign them Thor, when I was on my mission.

Look at my sweet boy. He loves Jesus.

seeing the savior's portrait inspired him to read the scriptures. ha ha.

Actually this is one moment before he ripped a page out!

What happened to my gentle boy?

Have a great day enjoying the ones you love.